Winter storm brings snow, falling temperatures

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT/AP) - An enormous storm system that dumped snow and sleet on the nation's midsection and unleashed damaging tornadoes around the Deep South is punching its way across Kentucky.

Areas of western Kentucky where a blizzard warning is in effect have received up to 7 inches of snow. Preliminary snowfall totals for western Kentucky ranged from 2-7 inches depending on location. The city of Bardwell received about 7 inches while Murray got around 2.

"Northern Kentucky had thunder snow while southeastern Kentucky had thunderstorms at the same time," says WKYT chief meteorologist Chris Bailey.

Across the Bluegrass, a winter weather advisory is in effect for this afternoon as rain will change to snow. "As the low works east, temperatures across the Lexington metro will drop close to 10 degrees in a few hour time span and then across eastern Kentucky in the early evening," says Bailey.

The WKYT First Alert Weather team expects anywhere between a coating to 2 inches for central and eastern Kentucky by the time the snow winds down Thursday morning.

At least six deaths are being blamed on the storm, which spawned Gulf Coast region tornadoes on Christmas Day and a historic amount of snow in Arkansas before pushing through the Upper Ohio Valley and heading toward the Northeast on Wednesday.

The aviation tracking website FlightAware.com says more than 1,400 flights have been canceled. The New York City-area's three major airports are experiencing hour-long delays. Scores of motorists have gotten stuck on icy roads or have slid into drifts.

A National Weather Service meteorologist in Indianapolis says he's describing the storm as a low-end blizzard "but that's sort of like saying a small Tyrannosaurus rex."

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